Garchomp launched one final attack, his opponent too tired to dodge. As the attack landed, knocking the other Pokémon out, the crowd roared. Cynthia clenched her fist as the announcer's voice rang out above the noise of the stadium.

"And Garchomp lands the final blow! Cynthia, beaten in this tournament six years ago, will return as the Pokémon Master!"

The next hour was a blur for Cynthia, lots of handshakes and a brief congratulatory meeting with Lance and Steven who seemed only too happy to hand back all of the responsibility to her. The last couple of months had been tricky for them, unused to the strain of being Pokémon Master as well as leading their regions. Eventually Cynthia found herself at a press conference filled with eager journalists. She answered all of the questions easily, working the room as she had been doing for years. As the conference was coming to an end, there was a final question.

"Cynthia, has there been any sign of Ash Ketchum, your predecessor?"

Cynthia shook her head. "Unfortunately no. Mr Ketchum has up until now evaded all attempts to catch him. We believe that he has fled the four regions. From experience, chasing him out there would be extremely difficult."

"Do you not feel that he should be pursued?"

"In an ideal world, of course, we should." Cynthia said. "However, I cannot justify risking any lives in pursuing him, no matter his crimes. The Pokémon outside of the regions are far more powerful and extremely territorial. Mr Ketchum has some of the most powerful Pokémon in the world, but the majority of people would struggle out there. Until he returns, apprehending him will be impossible."

There was a murmur of agreement from the reporters until the voice of the questioner rang out once again.

"And what about the accusations that Mellanie Rigger has putting forwards?"

"Accusations?" Cynthia asked.

"She has accused you of ignoring evidence in order to reclaim your title as Pokémon Master. That Mr Ketchum is innocent of all the accusations that you have thrown at him."

Cynthia raised herself up slightly to meet the reporter's eye. "I believe that people have a right to their opinion. Miss Riggers dedication and loyalty to her mentor is admirable. However, I stand by the police report on the case. Unless they are presented with new evidence, the warrant for Mr Ketchum's arrest will remain."

"So there is no truth in the accusations?"

"Again, I can only stand by what is put to me." Cynthia said patiently. "It is the role of the police to see investigations through. They believe that there is a case against Mr Ketchum. Until that changes, the Pokémon League's position will remain consistent."

"Can I have a straight answer please?" The reporter continued to press. "Particularly as you were heavily involved in the original investigation into Mr Ketchum. Are you aware of anything that could suggest Mr Ketchum's innocence?"

Cynthia gritted her teeth slightly. "No. No, I am not."

She rose and strode out of the press conference, leaving a room of chattering journalists behind her.

Mellanie and Sam exited Indigo Plateau together, vanishing into the evening air. Mellanie had been using the fields reserved for Sam to train while her friend worked hard on the administrative side of Kanto after Cynthia won in the World League. He had managed to get down to watch her fight against some of his new Elite Four, Mellanie having narrowly lost to Misty. As both of them had accepted though, it was a match that didn't show much given that Mellanie had been rotating her team to see how some of her squad Pokémon held up against strong opponents. Misty always liked to get into a fight herself after watching a big battle and they didn't come bigger than Cynthia reclaiming her title as Pokémon Master.

"Where to this evening?" Sam asked. Mellanie shrugged. She had been living with him since Mystery Island had vanished two months ago, in the accommodation provided by the Pokémon League for the Kanto Leader. It was easily large enough for a family, meaning that the two of them rattled in the house.

"Just home then? We've got enough food, we can cook and eat at home."

Mellanie nodded and they climbed into the car that was waiting for them. While the residence wasn't far, it was beyond normal walking distance. However, since Sam was too young to drive, he had been forced to keep a Pokémon League driver on permanent call. It had caused a fair amount of amusement in the media, something that he had responded to good naturedly in the few press conferences he had been through since taking his title. As the car drove, Sam watched Mellanie carefully. She hadn't been the same since Mystery Island had vanished, which had been one of the reasons that he had suggested that she moved in with him. She had no other home, refusing point blank to return to New Bark Town. Sam knew that if she hadn't come with him, she would have probably found a hotel. He at least wanted her to have a home, even if he couldn't replace what had been taken from her by Ash vanishing. While he knew that he would miss Ash, Mellanie had always had a deeper connection to their old mentor. Ash was the first person who had ever made her feel like she had a home that she could always come back to. And now that was gone.

As the car pulled up outside his house, Sam thanked the driver and climbed out, Mellanie following him in silence. He led her up the path into the house, shutting the door behind them. It was only when Sam focused back on his home he smelt something.

"Is that… food?" he asked, sniffing the air.

Mellanie didn't answer, pulling a Pokéball from her waist and advancing down the corridor. As she reached the door a short way down, she turned into it before letting out an exclamation of delight and charging through it. Sam followed more cautiously, before also relaxing when he looked into his kitchen.

Ash met Sam's eye from across the room as he released Mellanie from the hug that she had thrown herself into. She took a step back and looked up at the former Pokémon Master.

"What are you doing here?" Mellanie asked.

"I barely got a chance to say goodbye last time." Ash said as he turned his attention back to the stove that he was cooking on top of. "Did you honestly think that I would just walk away for good?"

"I…" Mellanie stammered but Ash merely laughed good-naturedly.

"Don't worry Mellanie, I am only teasing you."

"So why are you here then?" Sam asked as he moved into the room. "To say goodbye again?"

"I wanted to see how you were both doing." Ash said. "You were my first students and by far the youngest. Since I left you've both gone through quite an adjustment. I wanted to make sure you were both managing. And I was back for something else."

"What?" Mellanie asked instantly.

Ash chuckled. "Suffice it to say, I intend to have a little chat with our new Pokémon Master."

Sam looked at him curiously. "Why are you telling me this? I now work for Cynthia"

"Because your loyalty is to Kanto, not to Cynthia." Ash said. "Striking a balance is difficult but essential. There will be a lot of pressure on you to fall in line with whatever Cynthia demands but that is not what you have to do. You are now the leader of Kanto and have to act as such. Cynthia may never tell you what will happen in our meeting but I want you to know."

"What will you say?" Mellanie asked.

"I'll reiterate the threat I made last time I spoke to her. She has crossed one path too many and there is no coming back in my eyes. I can no longer trust her." Ash turned away from the stove and smiled down at Mellanie. "Similar to what you said. Except I can be a lot more forceful."

"Are you suggesting that I can't intimidate?" Mellanie demanded.

Sam laughed. "I think he's suggesting that few can intimidate as well as he can."

Ash gestured to Sam. "He said it."

"When will you go?" Mellanie asked.

"Tonight. The food is for you since I had some time. There is only one other thing that I have to do."

"Which is?"

There was a sparkle in Ash's eye. "Explain what I've been up to of course."

Sam pushed his plate away from him. Next to him at the table, Mellanie had finished a few minutes ago.

"I think I've missed your cooking more than anything else." Sam said with a grin.

Ash chuckled. "Well, neither of you look like you are starving."

"We aren't." Mellanie said. "But the standard of our food has definitely fallen. Pokémon food, not so much."

"Guess you should have paid more attention to my cooking lessons."

Sam looked slightly embarrassed. "Probably."

"Anyway." Ash leaned forwards from where he had been leaning back in his chair as they ate. "I believe I promised you an explanation."

The attitude in the room changed subtly. Gone was the casual camaraderie of a moment ago. Sam and Mellanie were completely focused on Ash's every word.

"As I explained before, I intended to retreat to the wilds to investigate Sonia. Find her motives, understand what drove her. Find a way to protect myself against a similar opponent."

"Will it help you return?" Mellanie asked.

"Unfortunately not. Cynthia has lain out her stance quite clearly. I will not be able to return now, no matter what I can turn up."

"Then why are you doing this?" Sam chipped in.

"Because I still want to understand what happened." Ash said. "And I have nothing else to do. Can I carry on please?"

Mellanie and Sam nodded.

"We have been investigating the locations we know that she was far more closely. With the assistance of the Pokémon out there we are able to make some headway."

"They are loyal to you again?" Mellanie asked, ignoring Sam's look at her second interruption.

"Yes." Ash said simply. "Without Sonia or Cleffa they have all fallen back in line. It rapidly became apparent that both Sonia and Cleffa had been working for far longer than we anticipated. As best we can ascertain they started work just over five years ago."

"Sorry, five years?" Sam's voice was disbelieving.

"Yes." Ash said. "Which has made tracing it rather tricky. But we have made progress. Patience is required. There is a host of leads that we will be spending time following up. But we have come across Sonia's underlying motive. Or more precisely, her background."

Ash looked across the table at the eager faces of Mellanie and Sam.

"Cleffa did not lie to me at the end. She told me that Sonia wanted to bring me down because I killed somebody close to her. Cleffa was right. It was Agent."

Ash rose and started pacing. It had taken him a fortnight of work to find the Pokémon who knew about them. A Bronzong that had known both Agent and Sonia. Bronzong had been close to Agent and explained how Ash's enemy had been friends with a huge number of Pokémon. Bronzong hadn't wanted to talk about Sonia but Ash had eventually persuaded him.

After Agent died Sonia had come to Bronzong, Cleffa at her side. Sonia had been crazed, demanding to know how it could have happened. How her lover's friends had let him die. Bronzong had barely escaped with his life under the onslaught from Cleffa. It had become apparent that Bronzong was not the only Pokémon that Cleffa had attacked on Sonia's orders. The two of them had targeted all of Agent's closest friends, satiating Sonia's desire for revenge. Until she turned her attention on the man who had killed her lover. And she had come after Ash.

"Cleffa knew that she would want to come after me eventually." Ash said. "And because Agent stayed in the shadows, he never befriended the strongest Pokémon like I have. He was close to anonymous Pokémon. Wherever he was, they knew about him, but those who are loyal to me never knew. It has been illuminating."

"Did you get a name for Agent?" Sam asked.

"I'm afraid not." Ash said. "Pokémon don't set as great stock by names as we do."

Mellanie shifted slightly in her seat, causing Ash to turn his attention to her.

"Mellanie?"

"You haven't found anything that can bring you home?" she asked quietly.

Ash returned to his seat and looked across the table into the girl's eyes.

"I was never going to." He said gently. "Sonia and Cleffa may have been blinded by the desire for revenge but they laid their trap well. Five years is a long time to have plans in motion, and it was carried through by a fanatic in Cleffa. She did more than I ever thought was possible."

"Is there a danger from Pokémon?"

Ash turned away from Mellanie to answer Sam's question.

"No. Your region is safe. Cleffa was the driving force behind the attacks. With her gone, peace will return. As I believe it has."

Ash rose from his chair again and looked down at his first two tutees.

"It is time for me to depart. I will do my best to keep an eye on you both in the future. And I wish you the best of luck in your future careers."

Ash held out his hand for each of them to shake. Sam took it and nodded to his mentor.

"Thank you for everything Ash."

He turned and walked out, leaving Ash to say goodbye to Mellanie who looked on the verge of tears.

"I won't forget you." Mellanie promised as she came around the table and threw her arms around Ash instead of taking his hand. "Cynthia will pay for this."

Ash smiled at her one final time. "She is only doing what she thought was best. Do not hate her for what she did."

Mellanie let go of her mentor. "Then what? Shouldn't I try to beat her? I shouldn't try to clear your name?"

Ash shook his head. "No, if that is what you want to do, then you should do it. Just don't use revenge as your motivation. Do it because it is the right thing to do." Ash hesitated before pressing on. "Just look at where revenge got Sonia and Cleffa."

Mellanie opened her mouth to speak but Ash cut across her, his voice raised.

"I'm ready Alakazam."

He vanished in a flash of light, leaving Mellanie stood watching where he had been, tears running down her face.

Cynthia collapsed into the chair in her office. She had considered going home after her duties at taking her title but was too full of energy. Her mind whirled with the events of the last few weeks at the World League and in the months before then. How she had forced her predecessor away.

Whether what she did was right or not was something that had been on her mind a great deal. Wondering whether she had made a mistake. The way that the four regions had fallen into line when she took over with Lance and Steven had gone some way to persuading her that she might have been right. She had brought an end to the instability, although that had been benefitted greatly by the way that Pokémon had stopped fighting. Cynthia was still unsure what might have caused that but she had her suspicions. Even after he had vanished Ash Ketchum was still making his influence felt. The insomnia that had followed her after she had made her decision had slowly faded with the passage of time and the lessening of the stress. Public opinion certainly seemed to have aligned itself behind her, convincing her that even if not everybody approved she had at least made a decision that she didn't need to be wracked with guilt over. Although she suspected that she would never truly forgive herself.

She sat up and pulled a file on her desk towards her, left for her by the police. They were still hunting Ash, but she didn't have much hope of them finding him. If she was completely honest with herself she wasn't sure if she wanted him found. Eventually, people would move on and Ash could be left in peace. Cynthia opened the file and stopped. It was completely empty. Cynthia rubbed her eyes and looked again, but there was still nothing there.

"What the…" Cynthia said, reaching for the phone. Before she could lift it, she heard a voice.

"I suppose congratulations are in order for you."

Cynthia took her hand away from the phone and looked across the room to where Ash Ketchum had appeared, Espeon by his side.

"After all, you have taken my title." Ash continued, advancing slowly. "You have forced me into exile. You must think that you have won."

"I…" Cynthia stammered as she looked up at the towering figure of her predecessor. "No, it isn't…"

"And yet you have justified it." Ash said softly, his voice silencing Cynthia instantly. "You claim to have done it for the people. You wanted to ensure that there were no problems. That the regions were put first. I wonder, how will they react when they find out that you lied to them and that you were duped by the very same people who caused Pokémon to attack humans? Especially now that you've denied knowing anything about me being innocent."

Ash cocked his head as Cynthia looked up at him, unable to form a word. Eventually, Ash shrugged and sat down in a chair, looking across the table at Cynthia. Espeon curled up at his feet.

"It doesn't matter anymore." Ash said quietly. "You have made your case. I will be returning to exile once again."

"I'm sorry." Cynthia croaked. "I thought I was doing what was right."

"Oh, you were." Ash said conversationally. "Except you were only doing what was right for you. Not what was right for anybody else."

Cynthia sat up a little straighter in her chair. "That is unfair."

"I did warn you." Ash continued, ignoring her. "I did warn you that you were close to a line that you couldn't come back from again."

"I never meant it to carry on so far." Cynthia said, her voice almost pleading. "When Mewtwo cleared… whatever it was that Cleffa did to us, I was horrified. We've been swept up in events that were bigger than us."

"In that you are correct." Ash said. "This was much bigger than you. Bigger than me even."

"Why did they do it?" Cynthia asked.

"That is what I've spent the last two months attempting to find out."

"And?" Cynthia was now leaning forwards, on the edge of her chair.

"You never found the right person." Ash said with a wry smile. "Sonia was as much a pawn in Cleffa's plan as you." Ash took a deep breath. "Sonia was involved with Agent. His death caused her to want revenge against me. Cleffa used that."

"She was a…" Cynthia's voice trailed off.

"No." Ash said. "I do not believe that she was as extreme as Agent. She merely loved him."

"And Cleffa?"

"A bit more interesting." Ash said. "She believed that Pokémon were meant to be stronger than humans. Her driving desire was to have Pokémon back on top. Have them dominant once again."

Cynthia whitened slightly. "Does that mean that they are coming for me?"

Ash looked her directly in the eye. "No. Under my stewardship, humans and Pokémon came closer together than ever before. And I faced down the legendary Pokémon that are dominant over the world. Without me, Pokémon will feel dominant again."

"Why are you telling me all this?" Cynthia asked.

Ash leaned forwards, the full force of his presence hitting Cynthia. "Because rightly or wrongly, you now lead the world. Without me, the regions will fall into place behind you. I believe they already have. You should at least know how you got to where you are."

Ash rose and turned away, Espeon following him.

"Do you blame me?" Cynthia asked quietly.

Ash turned slightly, looking over his shoulder. "Without you, Cleffa's plan would never have gotten so far. Sonia might still be alive. Cleffa might still be alive. And there are other things I could have done in the time that I was under arrest."

"That's not an answer."

Ash reached down to his waist and pulled off a Pokéball as he turned to face the new Pokémon Master. He pressed the button on the front and the ball opened but no Pokémon appeared. Ash looked down at Cynthia.

"This was Charizard's. He is busy trying to restore peace to parts of the Wilds. The peace that Cleffa destroyed. Recent events should have given me influence over almost all Pokémon in the Wilds, yet some of them are still fighting me. The remnants of Cleffa's support that was stirred up because you allied yourself to her. You joined forced with an extremist Pokémon who would do anything to win. And you allowed yourself to be tricked by that same Pokémon."

"I was affected by Psychic-Pokémon!" Cynthia protested.

Ash looked down pityingly at her. "You were far too easily affected. It can be broken free of easily enough. So yes, I blame you. I understand why you did what you did, and I understand why you felt the need to retake my title. But I still blame you."

Cynthia forced herself to look into the eyes of the man stood in front of her. "I'm sorry."

Ash inclined his head slightly. "I know. And when I return, you will have to face a reckoning. Until then, you have to lead the world."

Ash turned and vanished into the gloom of the office, his footsteps fading. Cynthia slowly rose to her feet, to see the paper she had been looking for on her desk. The wind whistled through the office as she stared at where Ash had vanished, carrying a voice as quiet as a whisper.

"I will return."

A/N

Well, that is the end of A World Divided. I hope the name made eventual sense! I could have said how close I was to finishing when I released chapter 37, but nah. Still, I've finished in July as promised! I don't need as long a note as The Lost Master so I'll leave it here instead of as a separate chapter.

Firstly, thank you for all those who have read, reviewed and generally commented on this story. I do genuinely read every single review and message I get about my writing, so it is appreciated.

What I'm planning on doing next. There is a finale in the works for the Lost Master series, but it won't be coming out for a while. There are two reasons for this. Firstly, I have a lot of half-written stuff for The Missing Years that has fallen by the wayside as my focus was turned onto A World Divided. My focus will initially be on working on those. Secondly, I am beginning to burn out. This story is over 200,000 words and has been written in just over a year. Put into context that requires me to write 600 words every single day for more than a year, which is usually at least an hour's work. Every day. I need a break from regular updates. I will probably look to launch Redemption in early 2018 when I've had a chance to recover my drive to write regularly again. The plan for it is to be substantially shorter than the first two in the series, but then A World Divided was meant to be shorter than The Lost Master and it ended up being nearly as long, so that is definitely not confirmed. I'm actually looking forward to it, both with having my drive back and some of the ideas that I'm planning.

I think that is pretty much it. I hope I haven't left too much unanswered in this, but if there is something which you are desperate to know, I might be able to help. Unless it is a planned part of Redemption, I don't mind clarifying things. There have been a couple of reviews that I am answering through PM since they are quite small points to clarify, instead of putting them here.

Until the start of the next story. I'll put a notification here as well when I release it.

Iama2p